Trash compressor and receptacle

ABSTRACT

To facilitate removal of a filled trash bag, a portable receptacle has a large portion of its vertical wall mounted by hinge and latching means. A compressive member is operated by a lever-handle having a linkage that functions in a toggle manner to latch the handle downwardly for maintaining compressing force on trash that is in a trash bag within the receptacle.

' United States Patent 1191 Shontz v 1 Nov. 26, 1974 TRASH COMPRESSOR AND RECEPTACLE [76] Inventor: Harry W. Shontz, 2023 Warren St.,

Davenport, Iowa 52804 [22] Filed: Sept. 4, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 393,921

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 275,277, July 26,

I972, abandoned.

[52] US. Cl. 100/219, 53/124 B, 100/100, 100/226, 100/255, 100/293 [51] Int. Cl B30b H04 [58] Field of Search 53/124 B; 100/100, 226, 100/240, 219, 255, 293

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1936 Modrell 100/255 2/1961 Allen 4/1969 Marasco 53/124 B 3,455,234 7/1969 Foulke 100/293 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 141,692 6/1951 Australia 100/226 421,060 5/1947 Italy 100 255 OTHER PUBLICATIONS SECO 4 pages dated 6-23-71.

Primary ExaminerBilly J. Wilhite Attorney, Agent, or Firml-lenderson & Strom [5 7 ABSTRACT 5 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTEL NOV 2 8 I974 SHEET 10F 2 PATENTEL BUY 2 61974 SHEET 2!!! 2 FIG.7

FIG. 8

TRASH COMPRESSOR AND RECEPTACLE CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This is a continuation-in-part of my copending Application Ser. No. 275,277, filed July 26, 1972, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to trash containers and particularly to trash containers that include compactors.

Trash and leaves are commonly placed in plastic bags for removal by trash collectors. These materials are loose and can be compacted to a much smaller volume by application of moderate force, but because of the low strength of thin, plastic bags that are commonly used, sufficient force to compact the trash will rupture the bags unless they are inserted in a rigid container.

A trash basket utilizing a ram head or compressing member is shown in US Pat. No. 2,970,533 issued to S. R. Allen on Feb. 7, I961. A rigid receptacle is divided into two portions, one of the portions being hinged at the bottom so that it can be tipped outwardly, To remove a filled inner container while a portion is tipped, the container must be lifted before it is'moved outwardly. The compressive member is operated by a foot treadle through an intermediate ratchet device that determines the distance the compressive member is forced downwardly into the container.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a receptacle that is easily opened to permit a filled trash bag to be removed easily in a horizontal direction.

Another object is to provide on the receptacle a compressor that is easily operated and that can be readily pivoted from the opening of the receptacle to permit placement of trash in a bag within the receptacle.

Another object is to provide an easily operated latching arrangement for the compressor to maintain trash within the receptacle under compression.

Yet another object is to provide a means of readily locking the latching arrangement in either of several positions for holding the compression temporarily.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the receptacle is cylindrical like a barrel with an upper, open end, and its size is appropriate for receiving a usual plastic trash bag. The receptacle has two vertical portions of nearly equal size, one portion being rigidly attached to a wheeled platform, the other portion having a vertical edge pivotally connected by a hinge to an edge of the rigid portion. The other edges of the two portions are normally held together by draw pull catches to provide a closed receptacle. When the catches are opened. the movable hinged segment is rotated outwardly to permit easy removal of a filled trash bag.

A compacting arrangement is pivotally mounted on a vertical rod so that it can easily be swung over the opening of the receptacle in position for compacting or swung away from the opening for free access thereto.

A lever-handle is connected to an actuating rod on a disk that is to be pressed against the trash in the receptacle. The fulcrum of the lever-handle is connected to a link such that the fulcrum moves over the rod as the disk is near its lowest position so as to provide a latching action that maintains the disk downward to apply compressive force on the trash until the handle is raised.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of the trash compressor of this invention with its hinged portion being closed and its compressive disk lowered;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the compressor with the hinged portion open and its compressive assembly swung away from the opening;

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the compressor;

- ment; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view, broken in certain areas and dotted in others for clarification purposes, again showing the modification.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In FIG. 1, a cylindrical receptacle 11 is attached to a wheeled frame or cart 12. A compressive member and lever arrangement 13 is pivotally secured to an upright post 14 (FIGS. 1 and 3) of the cart 12. A leverhandle 15 of the arrangement 13 can be moved from a raised position, as shown in FIG. 2, to a lowered position, as shown in FIG. 1, to force a compressive member 16 (FIGS. 2 and 4) downwardly into the receptacle 11 for compressing trash.

The cylindrical receptacle 11 is segmented on a plane that is on or near the vertical axis of the receptacle to separate the receptacle into two substantially equal vertical portions 17 and 18. The portion 17, the bottom 19 (FIG. 4) of the receptacle 11, and the cart 12 including the upright post 14 are rigidly fastened together. At one seam between the portions 17 and 18, the adjacent vertical edges are held together by a hinge 20 (FIG. 1), and at the other seam, the edges are fastened together by latches or draw pull catches 21 (FIG. 2). In FIG. 2, the catches 21 are shown unfastened, and the portion 18 of the receptacle has been swung outwardly to expose a filled trash bag 22. The compressive lever arrangement 13 has been rotated away from the opening of the receptacle l1, and the top of the bag 22 has been tied. The bag 22 can now be removed easily in a horizontal direction.

When an empty bag 22 is inserted in the receptacle 11, the top edge of the bag is turned down over the top edge of the receptacle, as shown in FIG. 3, and it is held in place with a resilient strap 23 that encircles the upper portion of the receptacle. Each end of the strap 23 is connected to one of two eye fasteners 24 secured to the portion 17 near the upright post 14. At least one end of the strap is connected to the respective eye by a removable hook that can be easily unfastened to facilitate encircling the receptacle 11. When the strap is not in use, both ends of the strap can still be hooked in the same positions except that the strap hangs loosely rather than encircling the receptacle.

The mounting of the beam 26 for the compressive member and lever arrangement 13 is shown in detail in FIGS. 4-6. A rectangular beam 26 is rotatably mounted to the upper end of the upright post 14. One end of the beam 26 has an elongated bushing 25 that is a sliding fit over the top of the post 14, as best shown in FIG. 6. A supporting bolt 27 is mounted diametrally through the post 14 at a distance down from its top equal to about the depth of the bushing 25. The bolt 27 has a bushing 28 near each end adjacent the post 14 to provide a sliding surface on which the lower end of the bushing 25 bears to permit easy rotation of the beam 26.

A handle 29 to be used for wheeling the cart extends slantingly, upwardly, and rearwardly from the top of the post 14. The post 14 is hollow, and the lower end of the handle 29 is tubular and is bent downwardly to extend inside the hollow end of the post 14. In addition to supplying a supporting surface for the bushing 25 of the beam 26, the bolt 27 extends through a transverse hole in the lower end of the handle 29 to retain the handle, and a collar 30 is welded to the top of the vertical portion of the handle 29 to bear against the top of the bushing 25 for retaining the beam 26.

The compressive member 16 and its operating lever arrangement including the lever-handle is mounted at the other end of the beam 26 (FIG. 5). The compressive member to be forced downwardly within the receptacle 11 is a rigid disk 16 coupled to the leverhandle 15 through a vertical, round shaft 32. One end of the lever-handle 15 is positioned overthe end of the beam 26 and has a portion that is turned at approximately a right angle with respect to the rest of the lever such that when the handle of the lever-handle 15 is nearly horizontal, the turned portion of the leverhandle 15 is directed slantingly upwardly. The outer end of the bent portion or fulcrum 33 is pivotally connected between the upper ends ofa pair of spaced linkages 34, the lower ends of the linkages 34 being pivotally connected to respective sides of the beam 26 at opposite points a short distance from the end thereof.

The shaft 32 is pivotally connected to the leverhandle 15 a short distance from its turned end. The distance between the turned portion and the point at which the end of the shaft 32 is connected is slightly greater than the distance between the end of the shaft and the point where the linkages 34 are pivoted to the beam 26. The end of the lever-handle 15 is bifurcated starting a short distance in front of the pivot point for the shaft 32 such that the upper end of the shaft is between the two portions, and the outer end of each portion or fulcrum 33 connects to an end of a respective one of the spaced linkages 34. The shaft 32 extends downwardly from the lever-handle 15 through a bushing 31 within the end of the beam 26 to the compressive disk 16.

The disk 16 may be fabricated from plywood and have a pipe flange secured to the center of its upper sition or in its fully lowered position where it has been positioned by movement of the lever-handle 15.

In the preferred model, the portions 17 and 18 of the receptacle 11 are fabricated from heavy sheet metal, and the bottom 19 is fabricated from plywood. The wheels 37 are secured to the bottom 19 by supporting brackets and bearings in a usual manner, and a bar 38 is also mounted to the bottom to function as a rest opposite the wheels.

To prepare the leaf compressor for use, the leverhandle 15 is in a raised position, as shown in FIG. 2, and the beam 26 is rotated until the compressive member 16 does not extend over the opening of the receptacle 11. The hinged portion 18 of the receptacle is latched, and a plastic bag 22 is inserted in the receptacle. The upper edge of the bag 22 is folded down over the upper edge of the receptacle 11, and the strap 23 is placed around the receptacle over the turned-down edge of the trash bag 22. After trash is thrown loosely into the bag until the bag is nearly filled to the top of the receptacle, the compressive member and lever arrangement 13 is rotated about the post 14 until the disk 16 is centered over the receptacle.

To compact the trash that has been thrown into the bag 22, the lever-handle 15 is moved downwardly about its fulcrum 33 to press the disk 16 against the trash. As the lever-handle 15 is moved downwardly, the fulcrum 33 moves forwardly up over and slightly past the vertical axis of the shaft 32 and provides a toggle action that maintains the compressive disk 16 downwardly until the handle portion ofthe lever-handle 15 is moved upwardly. The springs 36 also cooperate in maintaining this downward, latched position. The handle can remain downwardly until additional trash needs to be added to the bag 22 so that the trash that is already in the bag will gradually set in a compact condition. Since the wall of the receptacle 11 maintain the shape of the trash bag 22, the bag 22 is protected from being punctured or torn severely.

The operation of adding trash and then placing the lever-handle in a downward position is continued until the trash can no longer be compressed by applying moderate force to the handle. To remove the filled bag, the compressive member and lever arrangement 13 is again rotated until the disk 16 does not overlap the opening of the receptacle; the top of the bag 22 is tied; the fasteners 21 are unlatched; and the portion 18 of the receptacle 11 is swung outwardly to permit the bag 22 to be easily removed in a horizontal direction. When the receptacle is not being used to collect trash, it could also be used as a handy, light-weight wheelbarrow for occasional hauling of dirt, etc.

Under certain conditions, particularly when the receptacle l1 begins to fill up, it becomes more difficult to move and for the linkage to hold the fulcrum 33 past its dead center. To lock the linkage in place in the compressed position, a modification is provided of the linkage of FIGS. 1-6, and which modification is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

At the right angular junctions of the lever-handles l5 and 15a, a slight cut-out 41 is formed, and a pair of horizontally aligned apertures 42 are formed further back toward the rear corners 42a of the handles. Then, when the disk 16 is pressed downwardly the full stroke of the handles 15, 15a, an elongated pin 43 is inserted within the cut-outs 41 and between the handles and the linkages 34 and 34a, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. Any tendency of the linkage to kick back over dead center, therefore, to the FIG. 2 position is thus prevented.

If the lever-handles l5 and a are only forced through approximately half the stroke, then the pin 43 is inserted through the apertures 42, and will be held therein up against the linkages 34 and 340. By this arrangement, an effective lock of the linkage arrangement is provided in either the full stroke of the handles 15, 15a or for half the stroke thereof.

I claim:

1. A trash compressor comprising:

a receptacle having rigid bottom and a vertical wall divided into first and second vertical portions, said first vertical portion being rigidly fastened to said bottom;

hinge means connected between one of the vertical edges of said first vertical portion and an adjacent edge of said second vertical portion;

latching means connected between the other vertical edge of said first vertical portion and the adjacent other edge of said second vertical portion,

a movable compressive member adapted to fit horizontally within said receptacle with enough space between the edge of said compressive member and said vertical wall to accommodate a trash bag that generally conforms to the inside shape of said receptacle;

pivotal means for mounting said compressive member to said first portion of said wall to permit movement of said compressive member horizontally with respect to the top opening of said receptacle; and

lever means connected to said compressive member and operable while said compressive member'is aligned over said opening to lower said compressive member into said receptacle for compressing trash contained therein, and said latching means being disengageable to permit outward rotation of said second vertical portion about said hinge means, the opening in said vertical wall resulting from outward rotation of said second vertical portion being sufficiently large to permit a filled trash bag to be removed readily in a horizontal direction from said receptacle.

2. A trash compressor as claimed in claim 1 wherein said lever means includes'a lever-handle having a fulcrum at one end thereof, a rigid rod extending upwardly from said compressive member and its upper end being pivotally connected to said lever-handle at a point a relatively short distance from said fulcrum, said pivotal means for mounting said compressive member including a horizontal mounting, beam, said rod being slidingly mounted through said beam;

linkage means pivotally connected between said fulcrum and said beam, said linkage means being connected to said beam at a point spaced from said rod where it is passed through said beam, such that said fulcrum passes over the upper end of said rod as said lever-handle approaches a position for positioning said compressive member at its extreme lower position, the movement of said fulcrum over said rod providing a toggle action to maintain said compressive member downward until said leverhandle is again manually rotated about its fulcrum.

3. A trash compressor as claimed in claim 2 and having spring means connected between said fulcrum and said beam to urge said lever-handle in the direction for maintaining it stationary as said compressive member is in either a fully upward or fully downward position.

4. A trash compressor as defined in claim 2, and wherein a pin is provided for placement between said lever-handle and said linkage means when said leverhandle is in its position holding said compressive member at its lower position, whereby said lever-handle is locked in place against said linkage means.

5. A trash compressor as defined in claim 1 and wherein pin means is provided for locking said lever means in a compressive member lower position, said pin means being insertable through said lever means.

i l l 

1. A trash compressor comprising: a receptacle having a rigid bottom and a vertical wall divided into first and second vertical portions, said first vertical portion being rigidly fastened to said bottom; hinge means connected between one of the vertical edges of said first vertical portion and an adjacent edge of said second vertical portion; latching means connected between the other vertical edge of said first vertical portion and the adjacent other edge of said second vertical portion, a movable compressive member adapted to fit horizontally within said receptacle with enough space between the edge of said compressive member and said vertical wall to accommodate a trash bag that generally conforms to the inside shape of said receptacle; pivotal means for mounting said compressive member to said first portion of said wall to permit movement of said compressive member horizontally with respect to the top opening of said receptacle; and lever means connected to said compressive member and operable while said compressive member is aligned over said opening to lower said compressive member into said receptacle for compressing trash contained therein, and said latching means being disengageable to permit outwArd rotation of said second vertical portion about said hinge means, the opening in said vertical wall resulting from outward rotation of said second vertical portion being sufficiently large to permit a filled trash bag to be removed readily in a horizontal direction from said receptacle.
 2. A trash compressor as claimed in claim 1 wherein said lever means includes a lever-handle having a fulcrum at one end thereof, a rigid rod extending upwardly from said compressive member and its upper end being pivotally connected to said lever-handle at a point a relatively short distance from said fulcrum, said pivotal means for mounting said compressive member including a horizontal mounting beam, said rod being slidingly mounted through said beam; linkage means pivotally connected between said fulcrum and said beam, said linkage means being connected to said beam at a point spaced from said rod where it is passed through said beam, such that said fulcrum passes over the upper end of said rod as said lever-handle approaches a position for positioning said compressive member at its extreme lower position, the movement of said fulcrum over said rod providing a toggle action to maintain said compressive member downward until said lever-handle is again manually rotated about its fulcrum.
 3. A trash compressor as claimed in claim 2 and having spring means connected between said fulcrum and said beam to urge said lever-handle in the direction for maintaining it stationary as said compressive member is in either a fully upward or fully downward position.
 4. A trash compressor as defined in claim 2, and wherein a pin is provided for placement between said lever-handle and said linkage means when said lever-handle is in its position holding said compressive member at its lower position, whereby said lever-handle is locked in place against said linkage means.
 5. A trash compressor as defined in claim 1 and wherein pin means is provided for locking said lever means in a compressive member lower position, said pin means being insertable through said lever means. 